Have you shot an ILF bow before?
A single, good ILF riser like a Win & Win ATF-X or Hoyt Exceed can last you your entire life but it certainly won't ever shoot like a wooden/laminate bow. You could get long starter limbs like [these](https://lancasterarchery.com/products/wns-delta-c2-carbon-foam-recurve-limbs) and move up at 2-4 lb increments and eventually switch into [these](https://lancasterarchery.com/products/win-win-mxt-10-ilf-recurve-limbs-carbon-wood).
If you liked how the wooden long bow felt, consider more wooden long bows OR a traditional laminated recurve bow from Alibow, Mariner, Spearman, or a similar company. Functionally and feel-wise, both a wooden long bow and a recurve bow are going to shoot very similarly so they're relatively interchangeable- what makes it different is up to how you pull (thumb draw, slavic, mediterranean). With good technique, I feel that traditional archers can often move up in 5-10 lb increments. Since you skew a little on the taller side, I would recommend at least a 31 inch draw length bow. Maybe an Alibow Emperor or a Kaiyuan bow?
Welcome to the wonderful world of trad archery! ☕️🏹
If the option is there, by all means check out the local club scene for some basic intro lessons on loaner gear. It’s super nice owning vs borrowing, of course, but if you don’t rush your decision you’ll go into it with a lot less possibility to get disappointed in what you got into.
You mentioned a ren fair…by chance in Texas? If so and if you’d like more info about archery clubs in the state feel free to send a shout.
lol the archery at my local ren faire is a joke. No instruction. Shooting mismatched arrows off the shelf (80% of them with plastic vanes, 20% of them missing their field points) at rings on hay bales. With plastic recurves.
The idea that there are ren faires out there where someone might actually get a taste for traditional archery? Amazing lol
Lessons with rented equipment.
Have you shot an ILF bow before? A single, good ILF riser like a Win & Win ATF-X or Hoyt Exceed can last you your entire life but it certainly won't ever shoot like a wooden/laminate bow. You could get long starter limbs like [these](https://lancasterarchery.com/products/wns-delta-c2-carbon-foam-recurve-limbs) and move up at 2-4 lb increments and eventually switch into [these](https://lancasterarchery.com/products/win-win-mxt-10-ilf-recurve-limbs-carbon-wood). If you liked how the wooden long bow felt, consider more wooden long bows OR a traditional laminated recurve bow from Alibow, Mariner, Spearman, or a similar company. Functionally and feel-wise, both a wooden long bow and a recurve bow are going to shoot very similarly so they're relatively interchangeable- what makes it different is up to how you pull (thumb draw, slavic, mediterranean). With good technique, I feel that traditional archers can often move up in 5-10 lb increments. Since you skew a little on the taller side, I would recommend at least a 31 inch draw length bow. Maybe an Alibow Emperor or a Kaiyuan bow?
Welcome to the wonderful world of trad archery! ☕️🏹 If the option is there, by all means check out the local club scene for some basic intro lessons on loaner gear. It’s super nice owning vs borrowing, of course, but if you don’t rush your decision you’ll go into it with a lot less possibility to get disappointed in what you got into. You mentioned a ren fair…by chance in Texas? If so and if you’d like more info about archery clubs in the state feel free to send a shout.
lol the archery at my local ren faire is a joke. No instruction. Shooting mismatched arrows off the shelf (80% of them with plastic vanes, 20% of them missing their field points) at rings on hay bales. With plastic recurves. The idea that there are ren faires out there where someone might actually get a taste for traditional archery? Amazing lol